Conveyance and track



Oct. 21, 1969 R. YORK 3,473,483

CONVEYANCE AND TRACK Filed OCT.. 6, 1966 ILS. Cl. d-69 8 Claims ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE An elongated compressible body portion having a crosswise concave upper surface above which a plurality of journalled supporting elements spaced transversely and longitudinally of the body portion project. A conveyance is provided and has a crosswise convex under surface mating with and adapted to lengthwise glide along the body and roll over the supporting elements and the conveyance is adapted to support one or more persons and is of a crosswise dimension appreciably less than the crosswise dimension of the upper surface whereby each greater tendency of the conveyance to veer from the longitudinal centerline of the upper surface will be increasingly resisted by the greater upward outwardly inclined surface portions of the upper surface supporting the conveyance.

This invention generally appertains to improvements in amusement devices and more particularly relates to a novel amusement device which will test the skill of a persson and, in so doing, will add to the enjoyment realizable by such person, such device being in the nature of improvements over my copending application Ser. No. 572,398, filed Aug. l5, 1966, since mateured into Patent No. 3,422,732, and entitled Artificial Ski Mat.

In my copending application, I have disclosed an artificial mat which can be employed to simulate natural sliding or gliding conditions in association with skis, toboggans, slides and the like.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an amusement device which has a vertically oriented compressible supporting body formed with a concave upper supporting surface and an occupant accommodating conveyance having a convex undersurface or bottom wall, the purpose being to enable a person to test his skill in sliding down the supporting surface while enjoying the thrills usually associated with winter sports, such as tobogganing and the like.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a very simple amusement device which can be set up and used either outdoors or indoors and which is extremely mechanically uncomplicated so that it can be utilized under any conditions and which is of such a nature that it can be easily transported to an inclined outdoor or indoor site and readily set up for use with the occupant accommodating conveyance and, because of its compactness and simplicity7 easily stored.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a simple, compact, sturdy and inexpensive amusement device which will not only afford a sense of amusement to a user but which will also provide a test for the balancing sldll of the user.

The provision of artificial mats for the accommodation of skis, toboggans and the like is well known but, such merely permit the user to travel in a straight line, simulative of the straight downward movements of a tobogganer on a snow covered slope or hill. It is the primary aim and purpose of the present invention to provide an artificial supporting surface, which is concave, and to provide in structural and functional association therewith a conveyance, such as a glide sled or glide board, which has nite States Patent O ICC a convex mating bottom surface and to provide a body of compressible material as a support and universal supporting elements arranged in a pre-selected pattern on the concave supporting surface and protruding above the surface so as to glidingly accommodate the downward movements of the conveyance. This will result in the test of the skill of the user of the conveyance and yet, at the same time, will be safe in nature and will render a highly realizable source of amusement.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of the combined mat and conveyance;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, vertical cross-sectional view of the mat;

FIGURE 3 is a more detailed vertical, cross-sectional view of the mat and conveyance, with the mat shown in Y its embedded position in the ground;

FIGURE 4 is a view of the mat, per se, showing a particular arrangement for mounting the universal supporting elements which constitute the supporting surface for the convex underside of the conveyance; and

FIGURE 5 is a modified form of mat construction.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, and initially to FIGURE l, the artificial ski mat 10 may be of any desired dimensions in plan and the specific showing thereof is merely exemplary in nature. As shown in FIGURE l, the mat 10 is elongated and is laid on an inclined ground surface 12. Tre mat 10 is formed from any suitable sturdy flexible material and is formed with a body portion 14 made from a resilient multicellular, foam rubber, plastic or other resilient but firm supporting material.

The supporting bed or body portion 14 of the mat is formed with a flat bottom or base strip 16 of hard rubber, such as boiler rubber or other suitable flexible material which is bonded thereto and is likewise formed with a flat `upper strip 18, which is formed of flexible, sturdy material, such as boiler rubber or other suitable flexible material which is bonded or otherwise secured to the upper surface of the supporting portion or bed 14.

In the instance of FIGURE 2, for example, the mat 10 is formed in a at configuration but, by virtue of its resilient body portion or bed 14 and its accommodating upper and lower surfaces or facial strips 16 and 1S, it is deformable. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 3, the mat is adaptable to assume a concavo-convex, crosswise appearance and, in this regard, it is intended that the ground 12 or other supporting surface upon which the mat is to be laid in a vertical position, as shown in FlG- URE l, will be provided with an elongated channel or trough-like concave opening 20. Thus, the trough or ditch-like opening 2G which would be formed vertically in the ground 12, at any desired inclination, would be for the purpose of accommodating the normally fiat mat 10.

Thus, the ground 12 or equivalent supporting surface is formed with a concave ditch or trough-like opening so as to receive the normally flat artificial mat 10 which in its positioning in the opening 2d assumes a concavoconvex shape, thereby presenting a concave upper surface 18. The base or underside 16 of the mat is positioned within the opening 20 in the ground 12 so as to render the entire mat l@ immobile with respect to the ground 12 or other supporting surface. The concave upper supporting surface 18 is provided with universal supporting elements 22, as shown more particularly in FIGURE 4, such supporting elements being in the nature of rows of spherical balls and having means rotatably mounting each of the balls so that a working portion of the circumference of each of the balls always protrudes above the surface 18 and so that each of the balls is freely rotatable in a captive relation to such surface, as disclosed in my copending application 572,398.

It can thus be seen from a consideration of FIGURES 1 through 4 that the upper supporting surface 18 is concave and that it embodies universal supporting elements 22 which are constituted by rows of spherical balls with means rotatably mounting each of the balls so that working portions of the circumference of each of the balls always protrudes above the surface and so that each of the balls is freely rotatable in a captive relation to the supporting surface 18.

A conveyance 24, which may be in the nature of a glide sled or glide board or the like, forms a part of the present invention and the particular part that it plays is that it has a transversely convex bottom or undersurface 26 which is substantially smooth and which is adapted to slide or glide over the universal supporting elements 22, as shown in FIGURES l and 3. The smooth convex undersurface or bottom wall 26 of the conveyance 24 will mate with the universal supporting elements 22, as shown in FIGURE 4, so that it will unimpedely glide or slide down over the upper supporting surface 18 of the mat 10. It is quite obvious that the undersurface or base 26 of the conveyance has no structural relationship with the universal supporting elements, it being entirely smooth and merely gliding or sliding over the spherical balls which constitute, in their freely rotatable captive relationship to the supporting surface 18, as disclosed in my copending application, the universal supporting elements 22.

From a consideration of FIGURES 1 through 3, it can be appreciated that the normally flat mat can be laid in the trench or trough 20, which is transversely concave, so that it presents a crosswise concave upper surface 18 which is provided with the luniversal supporting elements 22 that receive and support the crosswise convex smooth undersurface or base 26 of the conveyance 24.

However, in the event that it is not desired to form a trough or elongated ditch l16 in the ground 12, then the ground 12a, as shown in FIGURE 5, can be undisturbed and the mat a can be laid flat thereon by virtue of the fact that it has a flat underside or base 16a and the bed or body portion A14a is formed so that it has a transversely curved or concave upper surface upon which the face strip 18a is bonded or otherwise aixed and, of course, is provided with the universal supporting elements 22.

The important factor is that the upper surface of the body of compressible material, which upper surface is provided with the universal supporting elements 22, is concave so as to accommodate the convex unders-urface or base 26 of the conveyance 24, which may be of any nature or type, such as a glide sled or glide board, upon which a person may stand, sit or lie.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An amusement device comprising an elongated firm body portion having a crosswise concave upper surface, a multiplicity of supporting elements journalled from said body portion and projecting above said surface a conveyance having a crosswise convex undersurface mating with and adapted to glide lengthwise along said body and roll over the supporting elements and adaptable for supporting a person or persons, said conveyance being appreciably smaller in crosswise dimension than the crosswise dimension of the concave upper surface, whereby said conveyance may veer appreciably from the longitudinal centerline of said upper surface without moving off the side of the latter with each greater tendency of the conveyance to so veer increasingly resisted by the greater upwardly and outwardly inclined surface portions of said upper surface supporting said conveyance as the latter veers further laterally of the centerline of said upper surface.

2. The invention of claim 1, in combination with a supporting surface formed with an elongated crosswise concave trough receiving said body portion, said body portion being normally at but assuming a concavoconvex appearance by virtue of its positioning in the trough and presenting a concave upper surface by virtue of its placement in the trough.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein said body portion has a flat undersurface and is adapted to be laid at on the ground or other supporting surface and is formed with a crosswise concave upper surface.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said body portion is constructed of somewhat deformable and resilient material.

5. An amusement device comprising a compressible supporting base member having a base surface and an upper surface, said upper surface being transversely concave and being provided with a multiplicity of universal supporting elements rising above the surface thereof and a conveyance having a transverse convex undersurface mating with the universal supporting elements and adaptable for supporting a person or persons so as to move bodily on said supporting elements, said supporting base member being mounted against lateral or lengthwise movement in an elongated, trough-like transverse concave opening in the ground surface.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein said supporting base member is formed from multi-cellular material and said universal supporting elements include universally mounted spherical ball members mounted on the upper surface and protruding thereabove so as to constitute the engagingmeans for the sliding or gliding reception of the convex undersurface of the conveyance.

7. The invention of claim 6, wherein said conveyance is constituted by a member adaptable for bodily mounting in any fashion and having a smooth undersurface which freely rides on the ball elements and is maneuverable by an occupant or occupants in any direction along the concave supporting upper surface through the medium of weight shifting of the occupant or occupants.

`8. The invention of claim S, wherein means is provided for mounting the universal supporting elements on the upper surface of the supporting member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 830,853 9/1906 Thompson 272-565 2,555,078 5/1951 Gaylor 272-3 2,924,455 2/ 1960 Brunel 272-565 3,352,567 ll/l967 Swanson 272-565 X RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner THEATRICE BROWN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

